IPL 2018 Preview: Shreyas Iyer begins Delhi Daredevils captaincy stint against hot and cold Kolkata Knight Riders

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  • Iyer will face his first DD captaincy test on Friday. Image: DD/Twitter.

    Bottom-of-the-table Delhi Daredevils will have new leadership in tow when they host Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL on Friday.

    Having faced five defeats in six games so far, Gautam Gambhir has stood down from his role as skipper of the side with Shreyas Iyer appointed to the position.

    On the other hand, the Knight Riders have blown very hot and cold in their campaign so far, though they do find themselves in fourth spot in the table. After sweeping aside Rajasthan Royals with ease at their own fortress in Jaipur, Dinesh Karthik’s men were inflicted a nine-wicket defeat by Kings XI Punjab at home in Eden Gardens.

    IYER NEW FACE OF DAREDEVILS

    The 23-year-old Iyer will take charge of a floundering Daredevils who have been completely abject in the competition. The young batsman has been one of the consistent performers for the Delhi franchise in their horror run but he will have his work cut out in resurrecting their miserable IPL campaign.

    While Iyer takes the reins of the Daredevils, it could very well be the end of Gambhir’s playing career with the left-hander in woeful form with the bat personally. Having started with a knock of 55 in the side’s opening  game, the left-hander has only scored only 30 runs combined in his subsequent four innings.

    That Gambhir will not feature against his former side, whom he led to two IPL titles, is a big possibility for Friday.

    PLAYERS IN-FOCUS

    It tells you all you need to know about Glenn Maxwell’s form in the IPL this year when he was not considered for captaincy before a 23-year-old youngster. The Aussie maverick has simply not come to the party in the current campaign, bar one knock of 47 against the same opposition at the Eden Gardens.

    Come Friday, head coach Ricky Ponting will definitely want more from his compatriot who has not crossed the 20-run mark in any of his four other innings so far.

    For Kolkata, Andre Russell has been in sensational six-hitting form and will be one to keep an eye at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. The Caribbean all-rounder might not be able to contribute with the ball due to a thigh strain suffered in the clash against Kings XI, but his batting alone makes him a match-winner for the Kolkata based outfit.

    LIKELY LINE-UPS

    Delhi Daredevils: Prithvi Shaw, Jason Roy, Glenn Maxwell, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishab Pant (wk), Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Liam Plunkett, Trent Boult, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c, wk), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Piyush Chawla, Tom Curran, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

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